


Breaking the chains

by ToTheStarsWriting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, All the legends are true, Attempt at Humor, Background Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Flirting, HOTI Alec, I don't know, Kidnapped alec, Kitsune Magnus, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Minor, Possessive Magnus Bane, Protective Magnus Bane, Tags Are Hard, albeit a bit different, doesn't play a huge part, mentions of torture, really it was just an excuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24359782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheStarsWriting/pseuds/ToTheStarsWriting
Summary: When Alec was kidnapped by the Circle and tortured for information, he never would've guessed that he would meet someone there who would change his life. Someone who, no matter what Alec says or does, just moves right on in and makes himself at home like he was never meant to be anywhere else.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 78
Kudos: 923
Collections: Malace 101, Malec best





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this even is, and it's slightly different in style than my usual stuff. I just hope you like it. :D

Four days. It’d been four days since Alec had first been brought here, half-conscious as he was dragged through a long hallway and tossed down into this cell. Four days during which he’d spent at least half of that time held up by his wrists in shackles hanging from the ceiling. Four days of Circle members quizzing him – torturing him – to try and get him to give them information about the Institute.

Alec took comfort in the fact that they only seemed to recognize him as the Head of the Institute, someone they might be able to get information from or use as a bargaining chip, and not as Jace’s parabatai. If they realized that, he had no doubt he’d be shipped straight to Valentine.

As soon as Valentine saw him, Alec had no doubt the man would know. He likely knew almost everything about Jace’s life. But, as the assholes who’d grabbed him had already said, Valentine was busy with something _important_. Once that was done, he was going to come question Alec _personally_.

What that meant for Alec was that he needed to get out of here now – today.

There were only really two windows of time in which Alec might be able to escape. Either when they came to drag him out for interrogation, or when they took him back to his room.

Logic would say that he should try when they came in to get him. He would be at his strongest before they had a chance to hurt him. But that was also when they brought in all six of them. Four to stand around with weapons, and two to get Alec up, out of his cell, down the hall, and into the shackles in the other room. Without any weapons on him, Alec didn’t like those odds.

However, when they took him down off the shackles and dragged him back to his room, there were usually only two to three there. Alec was a lot less of a threat when he was bleeding and trembling from cuts, bruises, and the rune he absolutely refused to think about.

Physically, he was weaker at that time, but his odds were all around _better_.

Luck seemed to be on Alec’s side at least a little bit. By the time they’d finished working him over – demanding access codes, names, information, comings-and-goings of every part of his Institute – Alec could tell that they were at the end, and they still hadn’t used the rune on him.

When they stepped back, Alec let his body slump even though it made all his injuries scream louder. His shoulders especially, they were taking the brunt of his weight and were making their protest known quite loudly.

“Pathetic,” said the one Alec had heard called Joe, the sneer in his voice easy to hear.

The other one – Alec hadn’t heard his name, but had amused himself by calling the guy Ralph, as he reminded Alec a lot of one of Izzy’s ex’s they’d all hated, some pig-faced bastard who she’d ended up punching. His nose has never looked the same after. This guy looked a lot like that. Especially when Alec snuck a look up at him and saw the twisted grin he was wearing. “Don’t worry. Valentine’s gonna be here tomorrow, and he’ll be more than happy to take care of you _personally_. We’ll see how you hold out against him.”

Jace probably would’ve had a grin and a smartass remark for the guy. Isabelle would’ve tossed her head and refused to cower. Alec? Alec had no shame in allowing himself to continue hanging there, head down, and body limp. Let them think he was weak. _If you can, always make sure your enemy underestimates you_ , one of Alec’s earliest instructors had taught him.

Joe let out another scoff and walked up toward Alec. His hands weren’t gentle as he reached up and unhooked his cuffs. They let his body drop the same way they had each time they’d done this. Alec wasn’t sure if it was just out of cruelty, or if it was to take advantage of the way it stunned him and made him easier to drag out of there.

Alec had mentally calculated the risk that would come from either lashing out the instant he was free or risking letting himself drop and potentially be stunned.

In the end, he let himself drop, and he let them grab his arms and start to drag him. If he played a little more injured and exhausted than he really was, they didn’t seem to catch on.

It wasn’t until they were back at his cell that Alec struck.

He waited until they were inside, ready to drag him right up to the bed. “You pushed him too hard today,” Ralph said with a grunt, giving a tug to get Alec up to the pitiful mattress they’d put on the floor. “Boss is gonna want to talk to him.”

Joe snorted. “He can heal him up once he gets him up in the chains.”

There was no more time to wait. This was the best time to move. Their guard was down, and no one else was nearby. Alec carefully drew in a breath and pretended to try and put a stumbling foot to the ground, acting like he wanted to stop them from throwing him.

Joe laughed and gave Alec’s arm another tug, only he didn’t find the limp body he’d expected. Alec went with the tug, practically throwing himself into Joe to knock him off balance. It caused Ralph to risk falling with them or letting go. At the same time, Joe let go with one hand, trying to reach out and grab the wall to keep from tumbling. As soon as Alec’s arms were free, he launched into action.

Body braced on Joe, it allowed Alec to kick his leg up, going for the nastiest blow he could get right between Ralph’s legs. It was more than a little satisfying to watch the way that he doubled over. Alec didn’t waste time gloating. He moved with the force of his kick and let it shove him and Joe back into the wall. Alec followed that up with an elbow back into Joe’s gut. His other hand came up, reaching over his shoulder to grab Joe’s head, and he dropped down to one knee while yanking Joe over his shoulder. Alec wasted no time lunging forward for the seraph blade that was at Joe’s waist.

The whole fight was over almost embarrassingly quickly once Alec got his hand on the blade.

Within moments Alec was kneeling in the middle of the room, the bodies of his captors laying silent and still. He had to fight not to stay where he was and just breathe for the moment. No matter how much he hurt or how tired he was, he didn’t have time.

A quick search brought him a stele. Alec quickly activated his iratze, along with his battle runes.

The relief of his pain, as well as the flood of energy that washed through him, had Alec breathing out a sigh of relief. _Thank the angel._ With his body as healed as it was going to get for now and a weapon in his hand, Alec’s chances of survival had just gone up.

Another search of Joe’s pockets netted Alec a cellphone. In this, for the first time since her arrival only a month ago, Alec found himself grateful for Clary’s presence in their lives. With her had come all of her knowledge of mundane things – things that they should’ve been utilizing already. Alec had set Isabelle on getting that information from her, and what she’d brought to him from it had quickly been implemented through their Institute. One of which was a mundane form of tracking.

Alec dialed his sister’s number by heart and waited for her to answer. All the while, he kept a close watch near the door, waiting and listening for signs of anyone coming.

It took three rings for Isabelle to answer. “ _Hello_?”

“Izzy, it’s me.”

Alec didn’t manage to get out anything else before Isabelle was gasping in his ear, and her voice came back even stronger and full of such a deep-seated relief that made it clear how much she’d missed him. “ _Oh, thank the angel, Alec! You’re okay!”_

Noise off down toward the end of the hall had Alec poking his head out. No one was coming – yet. There was no telling how much longer he was going to have, though. Someone was going to realize these two were missing soon enough. “I need you to track this phone, Iz. I’m going to leave it on and hide it here. But I need you guys to get here as fast as you can.” He had no idea how long he might be able to hold everyone off if they found out he’d escaped.

Well… there was one way, and it was something Alec had already planned on doing once backup got here. Maybe if he just did it a little early, he’d be able to solve two problems at once. At the very least, he’d be able to help people, even if they didn’t want to help him afterward.

No matter how much Isabelle might’ve wanted to spend time talking, or reassuring herself that Alec was really okay, she was a warrior just like he was. Trained to put the job before anything else. She might not always follow the rules, but she knew how to listen when it was important, and Alec trusted her to follow these orders. Her sharp “ _I’m on it_ ” only further proved that.

Alec hid the phone underneath the blankets on the bed so that the signal could still run. Unless these guys were smart enough to have this place warded against mundane technology, something that Alec highly doubted, she’d be able to track the signal so long as the phone was on.

He paused only long enough to retrieve the other seraph blade from Ralph. Then Alec was out the door, using a soundless rune to creep quietly down the hall in the same direction they’d dragged him over and over these past few days. Alec had studied every inch of the hall as best as he could. There was one door about halfway through that Joe had made a joke about throwing Alec in once. Something about “the freaks you love so much.”

One unlock rune later, and Alec was on the other side of the door. What he found was exactly what he’d expected, and what part of him had been hoping he wouldn’t find.

Downworlders.

The room was full of Downworlders.

On one side were a few vampires, and a couple of what Alec was guessing were werewolves, kept in separate cages. On the other side of the room were a bunch of warlocks that clearly hadn’t been taken to Valentine yet to be given their injections.

Though Alec intended on freeing them all, it was a deliberate move to go to the warlocks first. Depending on what had been done to the vampires and the wolves, Alec didn’t want to release them only to be taken down by poor, hurt people who only saw Shadowhunter runes. He had to hope that the warlocks would be at least a little easier to convince.

There were three in total in there. Two adults and a small child. The child was a pale pink; that was all Alec glimpsed before one of the men shoved her behind him, putting himself in the line of fire to protect her.

Alec met raging red eyes and didn’t flinch. “I know you probably won’t believe me, but I’m not here to hurt you.” He brought up his stele to draw another unlock rune as he spoke. He couldn’t waste any time. When the lock clicked free, Alec yanked open the door. “My team is on their way, and you can wait in here if you want to. But if you want to run before they get here, or defend yourselves if any Circle members come in, I can set you free.”

The one guarding the girl looked suspicious, but the other man didn’t. He watched Alec curiously. With his green skin and the horns on his head, he should’ve looked frightening, and Alec had no doubt he could be if he wanted to. There was something in his eyes that made that clear. But, at the moment, he didn’t seem to want to. “You’re the Shadowhunter they’ve been bragging about having.”

Alec didn’t answer that. He didn’t have to. The warlock held up his hands Alec’s direction and gave him a silent look that was a clear ‘ _Well?’_

The minute Alec unlocked the warlock’s cuffs, magic was there swirling around his hands. Alec left him to free the other warlocks – something he was already doing – and pocketed his stele so that he could grab both swords. “I’ll guard the door until backup arrives. Can one of you portal out of here?”

“As soon as I get the wards down, yes,” the man said. He was by the other warlock now, unhooking both him and then the child with a little bit of magic.

Good. Alec put aside his worry for them and turned his focus to the door. Luckily for him, it opened outward, which meant he’d be able to take down anyone who dared come in. Swords in hand, he took a defensive pose to the side of the door by the knob, guaranteeing that he’d be out of view of whoever might dare to come in. That would assure him the best position to strike from.

Though luck seemed to be holding out for them. Alec didn’t know if the angel was smiling down on them or what. But no one came as person after person were released from their cells. Nor did they come when the green warlock gathered up magic and opened a portal right there in the middle of the room to start ushering them all out.

No one hesitated to rush through the portal. Alec held tense as they went through, one after the other until only the green warlock was left. He looked Alec’s way, and in that look was a clear question. One that Alec answered with a shake of his head. His team was on their way. He would wait for them.

With one last nod, the warlock went through his portal, and it swirled shut behind him.

What had only moments ago been a full room was now empty. Alec felt a little weight fall off his shoulders now that he knew the other prisoners were gone. Or, well, the prisoners that he knew of. There was no telling if there were more here. He hadn’t exactly been through the whole facility.

However, with them gone, Alec was free to look around. He knew that his team would be here soon. His sister would be here, and no doubt his parabatai with her. Alec had stayed to wait for them, but that didn’t mean he had to stand there and do nothing.

One last scan of the room guaranteed that there was no one else in here. Without anyone to guard, Alec moved away from the door, his blades still in his hands. _What I wouldn’t give for my bow_.

Though the room clearly looked empty, Alec still gave it one last sweep. He walked from one end to the other just to be sure that no others were hiding or that there were no trap doors or things like that. Which ended up being a good thing in the end – at the far end, on the other side of one of the cages, Alec found a heavily padlocked door.

He debated for a moment, and then pulled out his stele once more and set about unlocking the door. What if there were more prisoners behind here? _Wouldn’t the others have come to get them out before they left?_

Alec knew he could leave it, wait for the others to arrive before checking this room, but curiosity and a need to stay out of sight and hidden had him unlocking the door and moving inside.

The door opened to a barely lit staircase that went down off to his left. “Oh, this is such a bad idea,” he mumbled to himself. This was the kind of idea that he would’ve yelled at Jace for doing. Yet Alec still found himself taking a step inside.

With only one last, brief hesitation, Alec followed the staircase downward. At the bottom was yet another door. Metal, this time, and locked by mundane and Shadowhunter standards. Both of which were easy enough to break. Then that last door was open, and Alec stepped into a cold, mostly dark room. If it weren’t for the battle runes Alec still had activated, he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to so easily see.

Not that what he found was something he ever wanted to see again. He fought back a wave of bile as he looked around him.

A few mostly gone corpses were on the far left of the room. Another was on the right, on the ground below a set of shackles that had Alec shivering to see them, remembering his own time in them. But it wasn’t the corpses or even the chains that really held his attention. It was the body that still hung from those shackles.

Tall, clearly starved, and just as clearly – _alive_.

How, Alec had no idea. But with the man’s arms cuffed above his head, it made it easy to see the slow rise and fall of his chest. It also made it easy to see the scars that littered that tanned skin. Scars that told a horrifying story beyond anything Alec had seen so far in this place.

Alec couldn’t help the soft “By the Angel” that slipped past his lips.

He saw the way the man twitched, could see the flash of golden eyes briefly behind a screen of too-long hair.

Alec kept his hands out and his movements easy as he stepped up to the chained figure. When he spoke, his voice was gentle. “Hey. I don’t know if you’re awake, or if you can even hear me, but my name is Alec. Alec Lightwood. I’m here to help.”

There was a moment where nothing happened. Alec waited, not wanting to come too close and scare the guy, but not wanting to leave him there, either.

He almost missed the first little flutter around the poor man’s eyelids. They were as thin as the rest of him, the veins standing out so prominently. All the poor man managed was a few heavy, weak blinks. But it was enough to catch a glimpse of dimly lit golden eyes.

Alec took another step forward, right into the man’s direct line of sight. It was clear he was too weak to truly focus on much. Yet he seemed to acknowledge Alec’s presence at least somewhat.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Alec said. He kept his hands out and easily visible on either side of himself while he took another step forward. “I know you probably don’t believe that, and judging by everything, I can’t say that I blame you. But you have my word that I’m only here to help.”

Those eyes blinked again, so slow and so heavy Alec wondered briefly if they were actually going to open back up or just stay closed. The man’s head twitched as if he wanted to raise it up from where it rested against his bicep. To Alec’s surprise, the man parted his dry, cracked lips and spoke in a voice so dry it made Alec wince just to hear it.

He only managed one word. “Shadowhunter.”

Alec nodded his head. “I am. But I’m not a Circle member. I was captured, like you, but I got lucky enough to get free. All the Downworlders upstairs have been released, and the Circle members are gone.”

The man closed his eyes. “Lies.”

Telling him that Alec wasn’t lying wouldn’t be enough. What reason did he have to believe any Shadowhunter? Just by looking at him, it wasn’t hard to see that he’d been here for a long time. His body was skinny, bordering on too-much-so, and he was so clearly exhausted.

Alec stopped himself from coming any closer and fought to hold his ground. He nodded his head again. “I get that you’ve got no reason to trust me. But I just want to help. Will you let me?”

There was another long stretch of silence. Then the man’s head shifted again, dropping down a little more. “Not like I can stop you.”

Okay, that wasn’t exactly permission to come forward. Not that Alec could blame him. After all the things Circle members had done to this guy, was it any wonder he wasn’t trusting of Alec’s words? Alec drew in a steadying breath and took another step forward.

The warnings from upstairs rang through Alec’s mind for a brief moment. A whisper of trouble, _danger_ , that he pushed aside. No one deserved to be left like this. Treated this way. _No one_.

As Alec came even closer, he found that the man was looking up again, the gold hue of his eyes glowing ever-so-slightly. But he said nothing. That silent, steady stare was a very clear dare, one that challenged Alec to step up and prove his words right or wrong.

Alec responded in the only way he could. He closed that last little bit of distance between them until he was right up next to the poor man. Pulling his stele from his pocket, he chanced one last look at the man, and then down to the ground. Realization hit him. “I’m going to have to touch you for this. Your body’s going to drop as soon as the chains let go.”

When the man still didn’t speak, Alec nodded. He reached one arm out and loosely curled it around the trim waist, slender and yet a bit more substantial than he’d anticipated, bracing the both of them while his other hand lifted the stele up to the cuffs holding the man’s wrists. A few quick flicks of his fingers drew the unlock rune on the first one and then the other. Then Alec was quickly lowering his arm while he caught the man’s solid weight when it dropped down to him.

For one brief second, it felt like the whole room went still and tense. Like someone had sucked all the air out of it as if it were pulled in with the man’s indrawn breath, his chest pressing into Alec’s from the depth of it, and then it was pushed back out in a blast that sent Alec flying backward.

Alec hit the wall with a hard thud that jolted every bone in his body. His ears were ringing as he blinked his eyes, trying to bring them back into focus. Magic stronger than anything else Alec had ever felt before was pressing against him and forcing him against the wall.

When Alec blinked his eyes clear, he found the man he’d just released pushing up from the ground. That body straightened up in a way that shouldn’t have been possible after being held the way it was, and with as slender as it was. Yet he gracefully rose up on those long legs. When he lifted his head, his eyes were glowing brightly, and two fox ears stood up straight before laying back in clear threat. Behind him, four tails lashed furiously, and Alec’s years of training and studying told him what exactly he was facing here and just how screwed he was.

A kitsune

This was a _kitsune_.

The aura of magic in the air grew even stronger. It pressed harder, forcing Alec against the wall hard enough that he had to fight to draw in a breath against the pressure.

The kitsune took a step forward, and for a brief moment, there was an aura around him, her, _them_ – an image of a woman interposed over his, her features sharp and angular, her eyes equally bright and so very dangerous. “Shadowhunters.” Their voices echoed through the room, ringing together both male and female, high and low, light and dark – threat and promise, all packed into that one word.

Long, slender hands rose up on either side of them. Alec watched as white fire built on the tips of their tails. _Foxfire_.

They stepped forward, and Alec sucked in a breath as best he could, knowing that if he didn’t do something he was going to die right here and now. Yet when he opened his mouth, all he could manage to shout out was a sharp “Wait!”

To his surprise, they stopped. Those sharp eyes turned toward Alec, narrowing on him for a moment. Then they were walking toward him, gliding almost gracefully over the cold stone ground like they were waltzing across a ballroom, and then they were right there in front of him. One hand came up to the side of Alec’s face. He fought not to shiver when claws traced lightly over his cheek. Yet, with that touch, the magic over him lessened enough that he could breathe again.

“Such a pretty little Shadowhunter,” the kitsune said, almost cooing at him. “My savior. The one who spoke such pretty words and set me free. I didn’t mean to scare you. I wasn’t going to harm you.”

Alec knew he probably looked stupid, but for a second, all he could do was blink. “What?”

“Why would I hurt you? You saved me. Even after the others upstairs warned you away, you still saved me.” A smile curved the kitsune’s lips. “You’re not like other Shadowhunters.”

“I try not to be,” Alec said slowly. He stared at the eyes right in front of his face, the way they seemed to hold him in place as securely as the magic still pressing against him.

The kitsune cooed at him again. One corner of their mouth quirked up, and a hint of power flashed through their eyes. “You helped me, even though you thought I might hurt you. Do you regret it?”

No matter what else was going on in that moment, no matter that he was pinned to the wall at this being’s mercy, there was only one answer Alec could give. “No.”

The sound of low thuds from upstairs caught both their attention. The kitsune hummed low in their throat., yet they didn’t back away from Alec. Their fingers stroked lightly over the side of Alec’s neck right over his deflect rune while they looked up toward the ceiling. “It would seem your backup has arrived.”

Alec could hear them up there, hear them getting closer, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before they found the door that led down here. They would flood the room, his teams, and they would see Alec pinned here by someone they’d no doubt think was a threat. The thought of them trying to take this beautiful kitsune down made something in Alec’s stomach clench. “You need to go,” he blurted out.

The kitsune’s eyes dropped back down to Alec’s face. They were full of amusement and something else that Alec couldn’t quite name. The slit pupils dilated just a little, and the gold around them sparked brighter. “Are you concerned for me, or for them, pretty one?”

It was on the tip of Alec’s tongue to tell them _both_. Only, they didn’t have time to waste on this. Instead, he repeated, “You need to _go_.”

A slow, sharp grin curved the kitsune’s lips, beautiful and dangerous. They leaned in and ran their nose along Alec’s jawline. _Scenting him_. When they pulled back, Alec knew his eyes were wide, just as he knew he was breathing heavily. That response seemed to please the kitsune.

“We owe you a debt, Alec Lightwood.”

That was all they said before they vanished into thin air with a small crackle and the scent of burnt matches burning in Alec’s nose.

The magic that had been holding Alec to the wall abruptly released. He dropped down far more gently than he’d anticipated. Almost like the kitsune had done it carefully instead of simply letting him go.

Just as Alec straightened up, eyes going around him, he heard footsteps making their way down the staircase toward the room he was in.

The very first face Alec saw was that of his parabatai. Jace broke into the room in a mad, furious dash, seraph blade in hand, and a deadly promise on his face. One quick sweep of his eyes took in everything. When they landed on Alec, relief shone brightly on his face and in the way his whole body seemed to slump. “Alec.”

Between one heartbeat and the next, the two were moving toward one another. They reached out for each other, and then, for the first time in days, Alec was able to hold his brother and be held. In that embrace, he finally felt like he was _safe_.

Any thoughts or worries about the kitsune he’d met were pushed to the back of Alec’s mind. That was something to think about later. For now, Jace was here, and that no doubt meant Isabelle was somewhere nearby as well. Alec’s family was there, and he was _safe_. That was all that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to edit fast so I don't end up accidentally forgetting about this and leaving you guys hanging. :D If you feel like I'm taking too long don't be afraid to leave a comment reminding me!!! :D Thank you, also, for your comments and kudos. They're amazing.

There was so much waiting for Alec when he got back home that it was easy to push aside any thoughts of the kitsune he’d met or their strange reactions to each other.

First was a trip to the infirmary. There was no way Alec could talk his siblings out of it, and he knew he needed to have a report on file for the Clave. It didn’t matter that Alec had already used an iratze to heal the worst of it, or that Jace had drawn another for him over his ribs when he’d felt Alec wincing.

“Just let them take a look at you, _hermano_ ,” Isabelle said as she nudged him down on one of the infirmary beds, sitting down next to him with her hand in his. She hadn’t let go of him since Jace had brought Alec upstairs out of that dark hellhole. As soon as he’d gotten upstairs, Isabelle had been there, and they’d hugged just as tightly as he and Jace had.

Between the two Alec hadn’t stood a chance in getting away. He’d been taken while out on patrol with them when the groups had gotten separated, and Alec knew the past few days had to have been hard on them. He couldn’t deny them the comfort they took in just standing there with him.

That meant that Alec had dealt with everything back at that place with his sister on one side and his parabatai on the other. Clary had been there somewhere as well, keeping close to Jace, yet Alec hadn’t paid her any attention. He’d ordered the teams around, dealt with handing out assignments on what needed to be done, what would be brought back, and handling any of the prisoners that they’d captured. Most of the Circle members had fled or died. But they’d walked away with three prisoners that Alec would be handing over to the Clave.

First, however, he had to get cleared for that, and that meant a trip to the infirmary with his self-appointed guard.

Alec was a bit grateful Clary didn’t come in with them. He wasn’t sure he was comfortable with her being in there while he stripped down to his shorts and let the medic look him over.

“It looks like your iratzes healed everything,” said the medic, a kind woman by the name of Gabriella. She was by far and above Alec’s favorite medic. On the older side, she had an almost grandmotherly air to her, and yet she was still as spry as someone half her age. She was a good fighter, tough when needed, and yet infinitely kind and patient.

Though she wasn’t afraid to be stern with her patients. Especially ones that had a history of not following her orders.

Exam done, and notes made, her sharp blue eyes pinned Alec in place. “That doesn’t mean your body is fully healed, though. My recommendation is a good rest, at least three hearty meals, and no missions for the rest of the week.”

“We’ll make sure he rests,” Jace reassured her. He stood at Alec’s side, one hand up on his shoulder.

Gabriella slanted a look to Jace, and then over to Isabelle. Her lips quirked a little as she pointed at Jace while looking at Alec. “Make sure he’s in charge of your food, yeah? I don’t need to see you back in here in just a few hours.”

Laughter filled the infirmary. It’d been Gabriella who had treated both Alec and Jace once when they’d eaten some of Isabelle’s earlier attempts at cooking and ended up quite sick off it.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Isabelle mock glared at all of them. A hint of a smile tugged at her lips, though. “I’ve gotten better!”

Alec took his shirt from Jace and tugged it on, sliding in one arm after the other and then pulling it up over his head. “You have,” he said loyally. It wasn’t a lie, either. She was definitely getting better. He had a feeling Clary was teaching her in their free time.

Jace snorted at her. “It’s hard not to improve from _that_ , Iz. The only place to go was up.”

As Isabelle immediately started arguing with him, with Jace throwing his own teasing insults back, Alec felt the last bit of his tension start to drain away from him. He was home. No matter what happened, no matter how upset the Clave was with him, or any of the thousand of questions they were going to ask of him, Alec was _home_. He could handle everything else.

* * *

Three days had passed before Alec saw or heard from the kitsune again. To be honest, he hadn’t expected it. Why on earth would they want to come and talk to him? For the most part, he didn’t even really think about them, except to briefly hope that they were okay.

To his own surprise, he hadn’t told anyone about finding the kitsune in that basement room. Not the Clave – not even his siblings. Nor did Alec plan to. Kitsune had quite the reputation. What little was known about them that was verified, not just taken from mundane legends, said that they were spirits of tricksters bonded with a human soul, usually at the time of their birth, though sometimes in early childhood. Always younger than teenagers.

What little records Alec remembered reading said that there was one commonality – at the moment of bonding, either at birth or in childhood, something went wrong and the child died, only to be brought back. Supposedly by a doctor, nurse, some shaman or other. But it was said that the fix-spirit and the person’s soul would bond together in that moment.

There were no records that said how the two were drawn together. There were barely records of anything at all, honestly. Though Alec remembered there being a small footnote that spoke of a suspicion of them hiding themselves as warlocks.

Not that Alec could blame them. Not with the way they were hunted by those craving their power – mundane, Downworlder, and Shadowhunter alike. And where better to hide than in powerful beings who were so close to them in powers? Any slip in power or even a bit of their fox form showing through could be explained by warlock magic or a warlock mark. While the life of a warlock wasn’t safe, it was safer than that of a kitsune.

Alec didn’t want to think of what the Clave might say if they knew there’d been one in New York. They’d probably want them to go and hunt it down, and that was the last thing Alec wanted to do.

He fully expected that the kitsune had left – gone to ground somewhere to hide or heal or something of the like.

He never expected them to come find him. Let alone at the Institute.

Alec was in his office when it happened. He’d been there most of the day, falling steadily back into the paperwork and grind that hadn’t stopped just because he’d been kidnapped. For a day or two his siblings had done their best to try and keep things easy for him. But with Valentine on the loose, the Mortal Cup still missing, and Clary’s mother to find, that wasn’t really a possibility.

Still, Alec considered it a sign that they were worrying less when he had to give Jace and Clary yet another lecture for an unsanctioned mission the night before. One which neither one of them was happy about.

The two left the room equal parts furious and guilty, and Alec didn’t miss the flash of Jace’s eyes his direction with a look of barely-concealed worry. Alec was going to have to hunt him down later and try to find a way to poke at him until he relaxed. Maybe offering to spar would do it. That usually helped them out in the past.

With them gone, however, Alec took just a moment to sit back in his chair and rub at his forehead. As much as he loved his family, sometimes they exhausted him like no one else.

“Do you always let them talk to you like that?”

The voice startled Alec hard enough that he almost toppled out of his chair. He spun, one hand going to the dagger in his boot, only to go completely still when he found the source of the voice.

The kitsune from the cellar was standing by the drink cart that Isabelle had put in Alec’s office. They were poking at the bottles, nudging a few out of the way until they found one that apparently satisfied them.

Alec knew he should say something, respond in some way, only he found that all he could seem to do for a moment was stare. This wasn’t – the kitsune looked nothing at all like Alec had remembered them. The last time he’d seen them, they’d been broken, and then they’d been full of raw power. Now, that edge of power was banked, though Alec doubted it was gone. But the image they presented was vastly different.

They were wearing pants so tight they looked like a second skin, heeled boots, a loose flowing top that looked silky soft and was tucked in a little just behind their belt buckle, while also being left open almost to their navel. Silver jewelry flashed on their fingers, and down their chest. The dark hair that had hung loose in their face before was now spiked up, streaked with the colors of the sunrise to match their shirt, and the sides were neatly shaved.

If Alec had thought their form beautiful before, it was nothing compared to _this_.

The kitsune turned, flashing Alec a look at those glowing eyes over their shoulder. _Cat eyes_ , Alec thought faintly. _How odd on a fox_.

Out loud, Alec finally managed to string a few words together. Even if they weren’t the most _polite_ words to start a conversation with. “How did you get in here?”

Chuckling, the kitsune snagged a glass off the bottom shelf and brought it up, using a few different bottles to mix themselves a drink. “I don’t know if I find it more cute or sad that you think it’d be difficult.” They turned around, drink in hand, and flashed Alec a grin that he very much did not blush at, _thank you_. “You really should have a talking to with whoever you had do your wards. I guarantee they’re overcharging you.”

That… was something Alec was definitely going to think about. Later. When there wasn’t a kitsune strolling casually toward him like they were perfectly at home in his office.

Alec wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. In the end, he sat there and watched as the kitsune came to the edge of his desk and sat down, smiling warmly at him. They stunned him further by holding out a hand. “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced. I’m Magnus.” A devilish smile curved their lips. “And because I’ve discovered it prudent to say after people encounter my, ah, _other_ side, I’ll let you know that I go by he/him pronouns. People tend to mix that up a bit when they meet _her_.”

That last part was said with a wink that Alec couldn’t deny this time made him blush, much to Magnus’ clear delight.

What else could Alec do but reach out and shake the hand right in front of him? “Alec.” He blushed a little deeper, cursing himself at the same time for coming off like such an idiot. “I mean, I’m Alec. Alec…”

“Lightwood, yes,” Magnus finished for him. He drew his hand back, resting it on his leg, and lifted the other to take a drink from his glass. “Head of the New York Institute. Respected, if not entirely liked, by many in the Downworld. Ragnor sends his thanks, by the way. Not just for his own rescue but for mine as well. He wasn’t aware I was there or he would’ve come to do it himself before he left.”

“Ragnor?”

“Mm, yes. My darling little cabbage.” A fond smile graced Magnus’ lips. “We’ve known one another a long time, he and I. I appreciate you setting him free almost as much as I appreciate my own freedom. Which makes it two boons I owe you now, I suppose.”

Though Alec still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on here, or why it was Magnus was here at all, he still shook his head at that. “You don’t owe me anything.”

Magnus looked surprised at that. He lowered his glass, resting it on his knee, and turned a little more toward Alec. In the glow of the firelight his whole being seemed to sparkle. It took a moment for Alec to realize that was because he’d put glitter on his face and hair. Then he was speaking, and Alec’s attention was yanked back. “I beg to differ. You saved my life, darling. I’d been there for quite a while already, and Ragnor had been captured in his efforts to find me. Thanks to you, we’re both free and safe. I owe you so very much for that.”

“I didn’t do it for some sort of debt. I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Alec insisted. He wanted to say that anyone else would’ve done the same thing, only… he knew his people too well. Far better than he had months ago. That wasn’t a claim he could honestly make and they both knew it.

Magnus’ eyes gentled a little like he’d followed along with what Alec was thinking and understood.

Abruptly, the serious look on his face vanished, replaced once more with a smile. “You know, you never answered my original question.”

“What?”

“Do you always let them talk to you like that?”

For a few seconds Alec had to work on backtracking his brain to get to what Magnus was talking about. It only took a moment, though. Then realization hit. Magnus had asked that question when he’d first shown up – meaning he’d likely been there longer than Alec had realized. Because the only people he could’ve been talking about were Jace and Clary.

“You were spying on me,” Alec said slowly. The words weren’t quite an accusation, yet they carried a sharper edge to it than he’d used with Magnus so far.

The kitsune didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the accusation. “How else was I supposed to know when you were done? I may be powerful, darling, but even I can’t see the future.”

“Most people would send a fire message,” Alec pointed out. “Or come by through the front door. Maybe even _knock_.”

“True.” With another sip of his drink, Magnus winked at Alec again. “Then again, I’ve never claimed to be like _most people_. Why would I want to be? It sounds horrifically boring.” Pausing, Magnus lowered his glass and uncurled one finger from it to point at Alec. “And _you_ avoided answering my question yet again. I’m going to take as a _yes, Magnus, I let them talk to me like that_ , which is not only sad but also unfortunate. As their leader shouldn’t they have a little more respect for you?”

That struck closer to home than Alec wanted to admit to. Magnus wasn’t wrong - as the Head of the Institute, Alec should be able to command some form of respect. More so from his brother of all people. His _parabatai._ Yet that seemed to matter little when it came to things involving Clary.

When Alec looked back up at Magnus, he found the other watching him with a slightly softer look. One that left Alec feeling like somehow the kitsune was seeing right through the hard outside that Alec usually put up in front of everyone, deep down to the broken places inside that Alec liked to pretend didn’t exist. It was too much to take. Alec turned his head away, eyes going down and off to the side.

He heard a soft shuffle of movement. Cloth brushing against cloth. Then a quiet sigh. “You’re nothing like any Shadowhunter I’ve met.”

It took a second, and a couple tries, for Alec to get his throat clear enough to work without his voice cracking. “Considering the types of Shadowhunters you’ve likely met, I don’t really feel like that’s a very high bar to pass.”

When he snuck a look up at Magnus, he found the other wearing a wry grin. “It’s really not.” Abruptly, his smile wiped away and power flashed through those unique eyes. Any pretense Magnus had shown before was gone. He stared intently down at Alec. “You rescued all those Downworlders instead of just running once you were free. You rescued _me_ , though you had no way of knowing who or what I was. Then, you didn’t even tell anyone about me. You kept my presence hidden from everyone. The Clave, your family. Why?”

“It was the right thing to do,” Alec said simply.

Magnus shook his head, and the magic in his eyes sharpened. “No one does things for nothing. I know you know what I am. I saw the knowledge in your face when we were down there. Did you hope by saving me, I’d offer you a favor of some sort? Use my power for your side in this war?”

Before Magnus even finished speaking, Alec was already shaking his head. “No!” That thought hadn’t even crossed his mind! “I don’t want any favors. I already told you, you don’t owe me anything for this. I saved you because you were trapped there, and no one deserves to go through that.” Images of his own time in chains like those teased at the back of Alec’s mind. The pain, the fists, the burn of a stele against his skin…

He shoved it away, forcing himself not to think on it the same as he’d done every day since his return.

Some of the darkness was fading away from Magnus’ eyes. He still looked suspicious – _dangerous_ – but also confused.

Alec licked his lips as he tried to think of what words to use here. Words weren’t his strong suit. He was good at things involving work. Speeches, arguing with the Clave, and all those stupid political things that Alec hated but was good at. Feelings, things like this? He was never good at putting them into words. He didn’t stop to let himself think about why it was so important he explain himself to Magnus.

“I wasn’t going to just leave you there,” Alec finally said, his voice low and full of sincerity. He couldn’t make Magnus believe him, but he hoped he could hear the honesty in his words. “No one should have to go through that. And I didn’t tell the Clave about you for the same reasons. You’re right – I did recognize what you are. I’ve read about your kind. I’ve also read enough to understand how the Clave would likely view your presence here. You haven’t done anything to deserve that kind of treatment.”

For a long moment the two just stared at one another. Alec held there, unflinching, and let Magnus read whatever he would from Alec’s face.

Eventually, it was Magnus who broke their stare. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again they were back to the lighter golden glow from before, only this time there was a softness around his eyes that Alec couldn’t quite name. It matched the slight smile that curved his lips. “You continue to surprise me, Alexander Lightwood. It’s been a long time since someone was capable of doing that.”

Alec had no idea what to even say to that.

He was saved from trying to come up with an answer by someone knocking on his door. His head turned that way instinctively. When he looked back to Magnus, mouth open, he found that the kitsune was gone.

Alec stared at the desk for a moment, not quite sure what to think. Was Magnus actually gone, or was he hiding again, spying on Alec once more?

A second knock snapped Alec out of his thoughts. There was no time to focus on that. He called out a sharp “Come in” and watched as his head of security came in, a stack of reports in his hand and a serious look on his face. Just barely did Alec manage to hold back a sigh.

Later, he could think about the strange kitsune and his visit and what it all meant. For now, there was a war on, and Alec needed to get back to work.

* * *

If Alec had thought that first visit was the only one he was going to get, he was quickly disabused of that notion. Magnus showed up again the very next day in Alec’s office. Again, entirely unannounced. One moment Alec’s office was empty and the next he looked up to find Magnus sitting on his couch, long legs stretched out and boots kicked up on the coffee table. This time he already had a drink in hand.

Alec looked up from the report he was signing off on and arched an eyebrow at his uninvited guest. If it weren’t for the fact that he was tired, hungry, and more than a little grumpy, he might’ve kept his snark on the inside. But the combination of those things left Alec without much of a filter – not that he had much of one to begin with.

“Is this going to be a thing now? You popping uninvited into my office?” Alec asked dryly.

He was surprised when Magnus didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the question. In fact, the kitsune grinned at him. He also lifted his glass in a sort of ‘cheers’ gesture. “You rarely seem to be anywhere else. I’m beginning to think you sleep in here, darling, which is a depressing thought. This couch was barely comfortable enough for sitting on.”

There was so much in those words to unpack. Yet for some reason Alec found himself caught up on one word. “Was?”

The smile on Magnus’ face spread into a smug grin. Yet, he said nothing, and after a long moment of quiet Alec resigned himself to the fact that he apparently wasn’t going to be getting an answer on that.

Setting down the report he held, Alec sat back in his seat, putting his full attention on his guest. “Can I help you?”

“Have you even eaten today?” Magnus asked, because apparently answering simple questions was beyond him.

Alec resisted the urge to reach up and rub at his forehead. “Why are you here, Magnus?”

A snap and wave of Magnus’ hand had blue magic sliding over the coffee table his feet were on. Two plates, cups, and sets of silverware appeared there, along with a large dish of what looked to be some sort of pasta dish. The scent of Italian herbs filled Alec’s nose and almost had him salivating. He’d been suffering under some of his sister’s cooking lately. This – this smelled like Heaven.

“I owe you a debt, Alexander, and I’m a man who pays my debts,” Magnus said, drawing his feet down off the table.

“By breaking into my office and feeding me?”

Magnus chuckled at him. “Well, no. That’s just a lovely little perk, you could call it. I figured I might as well try and get to know the unique Shadowhunter who is unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. I’m sure a chance to repay the life debts I owe you will crop up at some point in time. After all, your kind die rather quickly.”

“I’m not sure if I should be complimented or offended,” Alec said in a dry voice.

“Oh, both,” Magnus said cheerfully, his grin wide and his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Though the insult was more for your people than it was for you.”

“Do you think you could get through one visit with me _without_ insulting my people?”

There was only a brief pause, and then Magnus shrugged. “Probably. I mean, we’ve only had two visits so far and that’s not much to build any data off of. Though I would think the more accurate question would be – why should I? Your people have been after insulting mine and others like me for a very long time.”

“Oh, so we’re operating on a double-standard, then. That’s good to know,” Alec shot back.

The room fell quiet as Magnus gaped up at Alec. It was the most off-kilter that Alec had seen him. He honestly looked like he had no idea what to say. His mouth opened, only to close and then open again before closing once more. Alec began to worry that maybe he’d pushed a bit too hard. After all, any Downworlder had a right to say terrible things about Shadowhunters after all they’d been put through by them. Who was he to judge Magnus just because he made a few snarky comments about them?

Just as Alec opened his mouth up to apologize, Magnus found his voice again. What he said wasn’t what Alec expected. “Fair enough. You have my apologies, Alexander.”

Alec squirmed a little, suddenly a whole lot more uncomfortable with this. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, Magnus. I do. I’m sure you have a history with the Clave that isn’t pleasant…”

“Ah,” Magnus interjected, raising a finger. “With the Clave, petal. Not you. And while I won’t restrain myself from pointing out when you or yours do something stupid, I can at least extend you the same courtesy you’re extending me by keeping my opinions about your people to myself. Especially when my local sources tell me that you’re turning your Institute into one of the most Downworlder friendly Institutes out there.”

“I’m trying.” To hear that someone seemed to be noticing his efforts and appreciating them was good to hear. The Clave definitely wasn’t as happy with him.

Smiling once more, Magnus made a ‘come here’ gesture with his hand. “Come eat. I promise, none of it’s poisoned.”

That was how Alec found himself sitting on the couch with Magnus and enjoying a delicious chicken and pasta dish that tasted better than anything he’d ever had before.

Not only was the food delicious, the company was surprisingly delightful. Magnus kept up an easy flow of conversation while they ate. It wasn’t anything heavy, nothing that dealt with Downworlder or Shadowhunter things. No talk of politics, or Valentine, or the war, or even this supposed ‘debt’ between them. Magnus told Alec stories of the places he’d been, and of his friends that he traveled with – namely Ragnor, the one that Alec had met (though he still had no idea which one of the warlocks he’d been) and another warlock by the name of Catarina.

In turn, he drew stories from Alec about Isabelle, Jace, and even little Max, not seeming the least bit bored even though Alec’s stories were far less interesting than his were.

They talked for what had to have been hours. Alec lost track of time so much that he didn’t even realize it was almost time for patrol until the door to his office burst open and Jace came in, Isabelle and Clary on his heels. “Are you coming, or do we gotta drag you out of here?” Jace asked teasingly.

Alec’s eyes went wide at their entrance. He snapped a look over to the side of the couch where Magnus had been only seconds ago, but it was empty. Magnus was gone, as were their dishes and any leftover food. The only thing he’d left behind was the glass in Alec’s hand.

Fighting back a swell of both relief and something that felt like disappointment, Alec lifted his glass and finished off the last drink. Then he rose to his feet to go put the drink on the minibar. “I’m coming.”

“What were you doing in here?” Isabelle asked curiously, watching him when he came to join them. Jace was already out the door with Clary, the two of them talking animatedly while Alec and Isabelle followed after them.

What exactly was Alec supposed to say there? That he was having dinner and drinks in his office with the kitsune he’d saved who seemed to like coming to visit him? That wasn’t exactly something he wanted to get into explaining. In the end, he settled for a simple “Having a drink” that he hoped his sister would accept.

Isabelle gave him a strange look, yet she didn’t argue it. “If tonight’s anything like any other night, you’re probably going to wish you had another drink or two by the time it’s done,” she teased him.

She wasn’t wrong. Watching Jace try his best to impress Clary was a frustrating experience. He and Isabelle would’ve normally teased their brother about it – this wasn’t the first time he’d tried to impress someone. Alec still remembered the Shadowhunter that had come to the Institute to train about a year back. Jace had spent days doing stupider and stupider things on hunts trying to impress her. But when it came to Clary, their gentle teasing wasn’t taken as easily as it once was.

Holding back a sigh, Alec set about gearing up for the night. Hopefully they’d be able to get through it without any serious incidents.


	3. Chapter 3

After those first initial visits it became a common thing for Alec to find himself with a random guest. Magnus popped in and out whenever he felt like it. Sometimes once a day, sometimes multiple times, but never more than two days went by without him showing up somewhere. For the most part he seemed to like coming upon Alec when he was in his office or when he was doing private training down in the training room.

Alec found himself starting to look forward to those visits. Sometimes they were the only nice thing about his day. Magnus had a way of showing up when Alec’s days were stressful and poking at him until Alec ate something or went to go to sleep. Or on one memorable moment he dragged Alec to the couch in his office – which, it hadn’t escaped Alec’s notice how much _softer_ and _comfortable_ the couch was – and then told story after story until Alec fell asleep right there with his head on Magnus’ shoulder.

It was a strange sort of friendship that Alec found himself developing with the kitsune. One that he still hadn’t told anyone about. Not his sister, not his brother, not anyone.

Magnus didn’t seem all that keen on letting anyone know about his presence there, either. At least not directly. Though there _was_ something that Alec felt the need to confront him on just a couple weeks after he started his visits.

After a night of really shitty patrol, and yet another attack by Circle members that they’d just barely managed to get their way out of, Alec was frustrated, keyed up, and in need of some kind of release. For him, that meant training.

He booked himself one of the private training rooms at the back of the Institute. Even before Magnus started showing up for them, Alec preferred working out back there where he didn’t have to worry about eyes on him. Now he made sure to come back here just to guarantee that he and Magnus had privacy. He had no idea what Magnus did to the cameras in there to keep them from seeing him, or from seeing Alec talk to himself, but Alec had checked the camera footage after the first time and it’d just shown Alec working out alone.

That day, Alec _had_ started out his training alone, though it didn’t take long for the scent of burnt matches to reach his nose.

Alec sighed when he smelt it and kept on wrapping his hand. “Hello, Magnus.”

“Oh, good, I’m not late.”

Turning his head, Alec looked up from his wrapping to shoot a curious look Magnus’ way, one eyebrow up in silent question. He found the kitsune sitting on the nearby weight bench, somehow managing to make even that look like a throne he was lounging on. Alec thought about ignoring him – it never worked, but that never stopped him from trying now and again – but in the end his curiosity won out. “Late for what?”

Leaning back on one hand, Magnus used his other to gesture toward Alec, the sparkle of his rings catching the light as he did. “My daily dose of gorgeous, of course. Come now, Alexander. I mean, who _wouldn’t_ enjoy watching a body like yours go through your adorable little training routine?” One glitter covered eye winked at Alec. “It’s become my favorite part of the day.”

Alec knew that he was blushing. No matter what he did he always found himself blushing at Magnus’ more outrageous flirtations. To try and cover it up, Alec pushed up off the bench and rolled his shoulders, turning toward the punching bag as he did. It allowed him to mostly hide his face so hopefully Magnus wouldn’t be able to see his blush. A futile hope, he knew, but one he liked to hold on to. It made it easier.

Taking a swing at the bag, Alec decided to distract Magnus by bringing up a few things that had been on his mind recently. He started with the simplest of them. “You know, _someone_ seems to have started some sort of prank war in my Institute.”

He heard Magnus hum, and snuck a look over at him. The kitsune was sitting there idly checking the polish on his nails. A hint of a smirk was curling his lips. “Is that so?”

 _By the Angel._ Alec snorted and shook his head while he threw another few punches. This man was _ridiculous_. “Mm hm. A few people have noticed it. Jace made some comments about the littler pranks. Salt replacing sugar, clothes tearing in weird places, porn on the screens in the Ops Center.” Another punch, twisted just enough for Alec to hide his grin. “Jace’s shampoo turning his hair pink. And that puddle when Lorenzo came to visit that no one can figure out where it came from.”

The image of Lorenzo slipping and sliding in that puddle only to crash into a passing Shadowhunter and end up covered in water _and_ coffee was one Alec was going to hold dear for a very, very long time.

When Alec snuck a look over at Magnus, the kitsune was failing miserably at hiding his smirk.

Alec rolled his eyes and laughed. “You have a terrible poker face, Magnus.”

That got Magnus to look up at him again. His expression was scandalized when Alec stole another glance. “How dare you, Alexander? I do _not_! I’ll have you know I’m _excellent_ at poker. Though I do like to play more for loss of clothes than loss of money.”

Alec rolled his eyes, trying to ignore any of the mental images that tried to build. “And you probably lose most of those games.”

A quick grin flashed over Magnus’ face, so bright and beautiful it briefly left Alec speechless. “Really, though, can you call anyone a loser in that game? In the end, we all win.”

Even without looking Alec knew that there’d be a shameless smirk to go with that, and probably a wink. Magnus had no qualms whatsoever in talking about his wide and varied love life – nor in making it abundantly clear that even a hint of a yes from Alec would be all it took for Alec to experience it all personally.

Despite what others thought, Alec wasn’t completely _blind_. He knew Magnus flirted with him. Sure, some of it was probably just how Magnus was naturally. A mix of his own personality and kitsune nature. Some of Alec’s research – he refused to admit that he’d gone and reread some of the information they had on kitsunes since meeting Magnus – made it clear that kitsune could be very sexual beings. Though a lot of Clave information about Downworlders seemed to treat them _all_ like they were sexual beings.

Either way, Alec knew Magnus flirted with him, and he even knew that he could say yes and probably end up enjoying himself. A lot. But more than the flirting, more than the urge to kiss him, Alec found himself simply enjoying Magnus’ _company_. And the last thing he wanted to do was risk losing that. Especially in current times where Alec felt like he had no one to really talk to.

Thinking about that brought Alec’s focus back to the one question he’d wanted to ask the most. It was also the one he was most worried about. In some ways he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know Magnus’ answer.

When Alec drew back from the heavy bag, he found that Magnus was watching him. Not with his typical blatant leer but with something more akin to concern. “Are the pranks bothering you?” Magnus asked bluntly. “They’ve mostly been childish ones that I assumed could be explained off as people having fun with one another.”

“What? No.” Reaching out, Alec snagged the towel off the bench, slinging it around his neck and using the end to wipe off his face. Having something in his hands helped him to keep his nerves from showing through too much. “No, Magnus, it doesn’t bother me that you’re pranking them. You’re not hurting anyone, or messing with them while they’re working, and that’s all I could ask for. Honestly, if any of what I’ve read is right, you’ve been pretty mild. I appreciate it.”

He had to smother back the urge to laugh when Magnus tilted his chin up and visibly _preened_ under Alec’s thanks. “Oh, good. I’d hoped you’d noticed that, too.” Then he blinked and tilted his head, those beautiful cat eyes watching Alec carefully. “So what’s bothering you then, pretty one, if not my little jokes?”

Remembering Jace’s face yesterday when he’d tripped in the dining hall and somehow ended up with half his food on his face, Alec doubted his brother would use the term _little jokes_ to describe things.

Though Alec and Isabelle and even Clary had found it funny enough.

“Nothing’s bothering me,” Alec answered, shaking his head again. He started to look around for his water bottle, only for Magnus to snap one into his hand. Alec had sort of gotten used to that. He gave a small “Thanks” before he took a drink.

“Okay, maybe bothering wasn’t the right word. But you clearly have something more on your mind than this.”

 _He’s given you the perfect opening. Now or never, idiot_. Alec lowered his drink down and tried his hardest to keep his tone as mild as it had been so far. “I guess I was just a little surprised that you seem to have so much fun playing your jokes, but you never really seem to stick around to watch what happens.”

Not the most subtle of ways to ask that. But who could blame Alec for getting a bit tongue tied on occasion around this beautiful man? Words weren’t always easy for Alec to begin with. While it was getting easier around Magnus, that didn’t mean that it was _easy_.

It helped that Magnus didn’t seem to need to have Alec spell everything out for him. Even though they’d barely known one another it was as if the kitsune had already learned to read Alec better than anyone. He was good at picking up the words that Alec _didn’t_ say as much as the ones he _did_. So it was no surprise that he caught on to what Alec was really asking here. Though the way his eyebrows shot up showed that he hadn’t been expecting it. “You want me to stick around?”

A bit of heat colored Alec’s cheeks. He turned away, not wanting Magnus to see even though he knew the other was already aware of it. “If you want to. I just… you don’t have to run every time someone comes around.”

The room was quiet as Alec went to the wall to grab his training staff. He’d been slacking on his forms lately and he really needed to run a few drills to make sure they were fresh in his mind.

“I was under the impression that _you_ would prefer my presence stay secret,” Magnus said abruptly.

Alec stopped halfway out to the mats to turn and give Magnus an incredulous look. “What?”

“You kept my presence secret,” Magnus pointed out in a slow voice. His brows were drawn down, and he was watching Alec carefully in that way of his that said he was reading every play of emotions across his face. “You still do, in fact, even weeks later. Not even your siblings are aware of my visits. I believed that meant you wanted to keep our acquaintance quiet.”

“Magnus, I kept quiet about your presence because the last thing you needed was to be hunted by the Clave. As for my siblings… if you haven’t noticed, they have a tendency to stick their noses in everything. I just wasn’t in the mood to have them do it with this.”

That was honestly the last thing Alec wanted, really. In just a few short weeks Magnus had somehow managed to become Alec’s sort of safe haven. Someone he knew he could relax with, and who didn’t seem to want anything from him. He didn’t expect Alec to do this, do that, _be_ this. Magnus seemed to like Alec just the way he was without any changes. Except maybe eating or sleeping more.

Alec wasn’t sure he was ready to give that up. Because there was no doubt in his mind – if anyone spent time with him and his siblings, Alec knew just who people would choose in the end. He knew where he stood in relation to his sister and parabatai. Alec hadn’t wanted to watch that happen with Magnus. For just a little while, he wanted to pretend that someone like Magnus could say _his_.

“You just keep surprising me,” Magnus murmured, his voice low and warm. There was an edge of fondness to it that had Alec wanting to flush again.

Instead, he ducked his head a little and continued on to the mat to start running drills.

“I’ll think about it,” was the eventual answer Magnus gave, once Alec had gone through a few forms. “In the meantime, if you’re worried about people’s reactions to who or what I am, you could simply do what I do and claim I’m a warlock. I’ve found that to be the best cover.”

That made sense. Alec nodded, body moving smoothly from one form to the next, and that was all either one of them said about it.

* * *

“Whatcha working on?”

The low voice broke through the quiet of what had, only moments ago, been an empty room.

It’d gotten to the point that Alec didn’t even flinch at the voice that spoke. He’d caught a faint hint of fresh burnt matches that tickled at his nose. More than that, however, there was just a _sense_. Like a feeling of something prickling along the back of Alec’s neck that told him he wasn’t alone anymore.

Nor did he flinch when a firm weight pressed up against his back. Two elbows rested on his shoulders, hands folded over the top of his head, and then he felt Magnus’ chin dip enough to rest on his hands. He was fully draped over Alec like it was the most natural thing in the world.

There was a small twist in Alec’s stomach, and a second one down just a bit lower, that he’d also gotten used to. He let none of it color his voice as he dryly answered, “Work.”

He felt Magnus snort against his hair. “You’re working on work. What a novel idea. I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out for myself.”

“Me either.”

Alec’s snarky response didn’t bother Magnus the way it did anyone else. The Shadowhunter swore he could hear the grin in Magnus’ voice when he spoke next. “Is it _important_ work?”

That got him a roll of the eyes. “All my work is important, Magnus.”

He could just imagine the look Magnus would be giving him at that moment. The kitsune didn’t move, though. He just stayed where he was, only tilting his head a little so that his cheek rested on his hands, and his elbows slipped forward a little more. Alec adjusted his posture to better support the added weight of the body on his.

“Oh,” Magnus murmured, puffs of air blowing against Alec’s hair. “That doesn’t look like fun.”

Alec made a low sound of agreement and frustration. The report he was working on was one from the night before. In their effort to find Clary’s mother, it seemed like Jace and Clary were getting more and more frantic. Not that Alec could blame the poor girl. Anyone would want to find their mother in that kind of situation. He just wished she’d at least make an attempt to follow the rules along the way.

The rumor they’d chased down last night had ended up with Jace and Isabelle both in need of a trip to the infirmary, and Alec worrying the whole time about trying to find a way to explain to the Clave why a team of _three_ – one of which was barely trained – had gone on a raid chasing down Valentine rumors. There was only so long Imogen was going to let Alec get away with running his Institute so loosely.

A soft sigh blew a bit more of Alec’s hair. “You’re going to have to start reigning them in eventually, darling. At this rate, they’re going to get themselves killed, and destroy all your hard work at the Institute in the process.”

“I know,” Alec said, sighing.

“Have you tried talking to them?”

It was on the tip of Alec’s tongue to snark at that question. A sharp, _gee, why didn’t I think of that,_ sat there, only to be forcibly bitten back. “Izzy and I talked a little, and she’s trying. But…Jace isn’t willing to listen to anything but Clary right now, no matter what I have to say. I’m just a boring asshole who is too busy living up the Clave’s ass to care about the fact that he’s trying to _help_ Clary.”

He felt Magnus tense against his back. “Those aren’t your words.”

No, not quite. They were a cobbled together mixture of the things Alec knew others said about him. And those were just some of the nicer things.

Magnus let out a low growl. It vibrated through his chest and against Alec’s back and the back of his head. In it was a clear threat that probably should’ve scared Alec. As it was, he had to fight not to shift himself forward a little to hide his actual reaction under the edge of the desk.

Hesitating for only a second, Alec reached up and curled his hand around one of Magnus’ elbows. It felt so strange to reach out and touch someone. Yet at the same time, touching Magnus felt _natural._ “It’s fine, Magnus. I’m used to it. I just…I need to figure out a way to shuffle around some paperwork so I can make some time to go out on patrols with them.” At least that way he’d be able to be right there when things went down. Not that his presence would really be able to stop anything. But with the way Isabelle was starting to lean toward his side, maybe the two of them would be able to manage it.

Huffing, Magnus shook his head in a way that felt more like he was rubbing his cheek over Alec’s hair. “We’re going to circle back to parts of that at a later date. For now, let’s focus on the part where you seem to think you’re going to magically create more time for yourself to go out on patrols on top of everything you’re already doing anyway.”

“It’s not like I really have a choice.” Alec had been trying to come up with ideas for days now and he was coming up short. There was no one he trusted to keep an eye on his parabatai who might even stand a chance of stopping him if he went to do something stupid.

“What you need is a babysitter.”

Snorting, Alec squeezed on Magnus’ elbow and then let it go. “What I need is a clone. Or one day of uninterrupted peace.” _Raziel_ , what he would do for one day without any trouble. One day to just… get his paperwork done and not have to stress about anything other than spelling errors.

He felt it as Magnus let out a soft laugh. “I could think of plenty of entertaining things to do with a clone-Alec. And you. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun if you weren’t there, too.” Without giving Alec time to do more than blush at that, Magnus sighed and turned his head, pressing a kiss to Alec’s hair. “What do you have left to do today, darling? Let’s see what we can get figured out.”

Just as Alec opened his mouth to answer, the door to his office opened and Alec’s head snapped up to watch as his sister came strolling in. He fully expected the weight on his back to vanish before the door finished opening. So it was almost as much a surprise to Alec to find that Magnus didn’t move as it was for Isabelle to walk in and see them together.

She froze halfway in the room, eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline and her mouth falling open ever so slightly. “Alec?”

Magnus lifted his right elbow off Alec’s shoulder and straightened up enough that his chin was no longer on Alec’s head. His other arm dangled over Alec’s shoulder while his free one stretched out toward Isabelle. “Hello! You must be the Isabelle I’ve heard so much about. I’m Magnus Bane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

No one could ever say that Isabelle was slow. Despite being shocked, she moved quickly enough, reaching back toward Magnus while she strolled forward. Her eyes were lit up with a look of sheer delight. “Oh, trust me, the pleasure’s all mine.” When she drew her hand back, she was grinning. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Luckily enough, no,” Magnus said, surprisingly honest. There was just a hint of a bite at the edge of his tone. One that made it slightly less friendly than normal. Definitely not as bubbly as he usually was. “Though next time you see a closed door might I suggest you knock. Imagine the Clave’s reaction if Alexander was in the middle of meeting with them and you barged in. Brother or not, we know how that would reflect on him. They’d likely try and blame it on him.”

Magnus put just enough scorn in there to blatantly insult the Clave in a way no one would’ve been able to miss. Yet underneath that, he’d delivered a well-done rebuke to Isabelle for just barging in instead of knocking, and he’d done it in a way that Alec could see had her flushing a little in realization while also not calling her out directly.

Privately, Alec had to admit he was a bit impressed by that.

A wave of Magnus’ hand had the door slipping shut with a small crackle of blue magic. Alec watched his sister’s eyes get a little bit wider at that. Though they got even more so when Magnus’ hand lowered back down and, instead of leaning as he’d been doing before, he stayed standing behind Alec while he gripped his shoulders and began to knead away the tension there.

“Was there something you needed, Izzy?” Alec kept his voice steady despite the way it wanted to crack a little when Magnus found a knot and began to put pressure on it. He was very much _not_ going to blush even more at this. Nope. Maybe if he pretended it wasn’t happening it might be less embarrassing.

Of course, there was no way in hell Isabelle was ever going to let that happen. She shook her head, wide eyes still on them. “Oh, no. Nothing near as important as this. Whatever _this_ is.”

“It’s nothing,” Alec tried to say, while at the same time Magnus cheerfully said “ _This_ is me trying to get rid of the stones your brother calls muscles. Seriously, Alexander, your knots have knots!”

Isabelle slipped down into the chair on the other side of the desk. The look on her face was one Alec recognized. It was one that meant she wasn’t going anywhere until she got some answers. Sure enough: “I have so many questions. How did you two meet?”

Alec tilted his head up toward Magnus, sneaking a look at his face for the first time since the kitsune had arrived. He wasn’t quite sure how to answer this – hadn’t had a chance to prepare since Magnus had just sort of thrown them into this.

Luckily, Magnus had that covered. “I was one of the warlocks your brother rescued during his capture,” he said, like it was no big deal. “I came to see him to try and figure out how to pay back that debt and decided to stick around when I was pulled in by his charming ways.” He smiled down at Alec, happy and fond and just a bit sharp at the edges in ways that left Alec feeling warm and aching inside. It was a smile that was edged in a possessiveness that shouldn’t have felt as good as it did.

“That’s so sweet!” Isabelle said, one hand coming up to cover her heart.

Rolling his eyes, Alec scowled, yet he didn’t move away from Magnus’ hands. They felt really good. “You guys are ridiculous,” he told them, trying to inject as much sarcasm into his tone as he possibly could. Which, for him, was quite a lot.

Isabelle just rolled her eyes right back at him.

Magnus laughed.

“So you guys have been friends ever since then?” Isabelle asked. She put an extra emphasis on _friends_ in a way that had Alec wanting to curl in a little and blush.

As Magnus started to answer her, launching in to some sort of speech about their friendship that was all true while somehow managing to simultaneously be _bullshit_ , Alec took a minute to close his eyes and let himself relax in the presence of two people he trusted and cared for. Being able to sit there while they talked, having Magnus and Isabelle start to get to know one another, to not have to hide this from her, it meant the world to Alec. Far more than he figured Magnus realized.

Eyes closed, Alec smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Having Isabelle know about Magnus was both a relief and a source of frustration. Not having to hide his presence from her anymore was like getting rid of a weight Alec hadn’t even known he’d had. He didn’t like lying to his sister. Nor did he like lying to his parabatai. But, at the moment, Alec wasn’t sure he could trust Jace not to tell Clary, and he definitely didn’t trust Clary to keep Magnus’ presence quiet. Or for her to restrain herself from trying to _use_ him.

“What do you mean?” Isabelle asked him one night while they were discussing it in his room. She’d been bugging him about telling Jace, about not keeping secrets, and Alec had done his best to explain his thoughts to her. Unfortunately, she trusted Clary far more than he did. “She’s not a bad person, Alec. I know you don’t like her, and I know she’s caused you a lot of trouble, but she’s just a scared kid trying to find her mom.”

Snorting, Alec leaned back in the large, overstuffed recliner that Magnus had snapped into his room once after claiming how offensive it was that Alec didn’t have anything in there to sit on aside from the bed. A bed which Isabelle was currently lounging on. “That’s exactly my point. Can you really tell me she wouldn’t use Magnus if she thought he was capable of finding her mom?”

“Are _you_ telling me that he might be able to help her find her mom and you haven’t even tried to ask him for help?” Isabelle shot back. She looked like she was surprised by the idea. Or like she was expecting him to say that yes, of course he’d asked already.

Alec watched her surprise when he said “Yes.” At her shocked look, he shook his head. “This isn’t his fight, Izzy. Why would I ask him to put himself at risk to help save a Shadowhunter he doesn’t even know? One that was a part of the people who are responsible for a lot of his people’s pain and suffering. The type of people who are responsible for kidnapping and torturing him?”

He could see as that hit home for her. The way she flinched. Yet Isabelle was smart, and her mind quick. It was one of the reasons that Alec always worked so hard with her to try and make her see things – she had the potential to be a great second-in-command once she grew up just a little more.

“Shouldn’t that be his choice to make?” she eventually asked.

He dipped his head a little in acknowledgement of her point. “Probably. But I won’t do it.”

“Why not?”

How could he explain to her that he was pretty sure Magnus would do it if Alec was the one to ask him – simply because it was _Alec_ doing the asking? He’d had to explain to her how he knew that, and Alec wasn’t sure how to explain it. Just that he felt it like a certainty in his heart. Whether that was just how Magnus was, or if he’d feel the need to fulfill his life debt by doing so. Either way, Alec knew he wasn’t going to be the one to ask him.

A soft look graced Isabelle’s features. She rolled a little so that she was lying on her stomach facing Alec, elbows on the bed and chin propped up on her hands. “You really like him.”

Here, with her, Alec let himself admit the thing he hadn’t dared even let himself think about. “Yeah.”

Bless her heart, she didn’t push. Didn’t force him to keep going. While Isabelle might push him more than most, she was pretty good at reading those moments when Alec didn’t want to talk. All she did was smile and say, “I’m happy for you, _hermano_.”

What else could Alec do but smile back?

* * *

Really, based off their interactions so far, and Magnus’ clear way of seeing a solution to a problem and just going for it, damn the consequences, Alec thought to himself that he really should’ve seen this coming.

It was only a few days after Isabelle found out the truth about who Magnus was, and since they’d talked about the need for a babysitter so that Alec would worry less about his parabatai out in the field. For the most part, Alec put that thought out of his mind. He went about trying to shuffle what little spare time he had so that he’d be able to go out on patrol with his siblings and do his best to keep them safe.

Currently the group of them were out on their nightly patrol – while way too much paperwork awaited Alec back on his desk, promising that he wasn’t going to find his bed until dawn, if at all. But it was worth it to see the way that Isabelle was grinning at him, or how his bond with Jace felt more open and free than it had in a long time. There was nothing better for the parabatai than to be out fighting together. It was what they were made for. Where their bond worked best.

Having Clary there was an annoyance that Alec was slowly starting to get used to. He could admit, deep down in the private parts of his mind, that maybe he was getting used to her a little bit. Clary wasn’t a bad person. Not really. If it weren’t for the whole mess of finding her mother, finding the Mortal Cup, and dealing with the return of Valentine, Alec might’ve even found himself able to make friends with her. She was funny, kind, and there was no denying she made Jace happy. Anyone who managed to do that couldn’t be all bad.

But with all those other things between the two of them it made it hard for Alec to get close to her. On a personal level, she was only mildly frustrating, and some of that only came from the fact that she hadn’t been raised like them and didn’t understand the parabatai bond. Though, her continued lack of understanding was something Alec placed on Jace’s shoulders. He should’ve explained it to her.

On a professional level, the girl drove Alec absolutely insane.

She had no regard for their rules or anything about their lifestyle. Clary obeyed the rules she felt were right, or just, and the others were easy to disregard. Especially when around two people who were always a bit lax on the rules anyway. She was so sure of her path, so righteous in her beliefs, that she had no qualms ignoring anything that didn’t seem right.

Alec kind of wanted to sit her down and demand to know if she’d behaved this way in the mundane world. If she went to Spain, or Europe, or literally anywhere else in the world aside from America, did she just ignore their laws, too, if she didn’t agree with them?

But at least tonight they were having a good enough time. She and Alec hadn’t bickered all that much, which had Jace and Isabelle more relaxed. They’d taken out a couple low level demons, and they were following the trail of a report that had come across Alec’s phone about a couple of shax demons not that far away from their location.

Isabelle had point, with the best eyes out of all of them. She was crouched down on the rooftop with Alec, the two of them scanning the area. “I don’t see anything around us,” Isabelle said, confirming what Alec was seeing. “How many did the report say?”

“Just three.”

“Easy enough.” Grinning, Isabelle uncoiled her whip, letting it slither down toward the ground until the handle sat in her palm. With a wink at Alec, she snapped the whip out so that it curled around the fire escape just ahead of them, and then she was jumping off the edge of the roof, using her whip to swing her body toward the ground.

Alec couldn’t help but grin a little even as he rolled his eyes. He gave a quick signal to the alley where Jace and Clary were waiting, and then he was jumping down after his sister.

The fight should’ve been an easy one. All their reports said just three demons. Nothing in the area had signaled anything else, and there weren’t even any mundanes around. Simple.

It wasn’t.

When they got into the broken down looking building, some sort of gym or something that looked like it’d seen far better years, they not only found their three demons there, they also found Circle members. Six of them.

There was no time to curse their lack of intel or the fact that this was very obviously a trap. The only thing they could do was throw themselves into the fight and do their damndest to get out of it.

Though the bow was Alec’s weapon of choice it didn’t mean he couldn’t do hand-to-hand combat. Sparring with Jace kept Alec's skills strong there. He found himself fighting off a Circle member with Jace at his back, while Clary and Isabelle took care of the first two demons on their own. He made a mental note to compliment the both of them later for how well they worked together. Clary followed Isabelle easily, showing that the two had to have been training together lately to be able to move like that together.

Two Circle members were taken down, and Clary went after another, with Jace moving to help her, when something cut them all off.

A loud bang echoed around them, and Alec watched as the Circle member in front of him suddenly went still, their eyes going curiously blank, just seconds before they slipped down to the ground.

There were three more _bangs_. Alec spun, sword in hand, and took in the Circle members that were now on the ground. Without them, it left Jace free to help Isabelle finish off the last demon, Clary taking a second to breathe and recover from a blow Alec hadn’t seen her take, and Alec free to stare at the newcomer on the far side of the room.

His eyes swept over her, taking in everything about the woman in an instant. The long legs, heels that were at least as high as Isabelle’s, and the tight leather pants and bright pink tank top. Dark hair was styled up in multiple spiked buns to create a mohawk style, the tips of which were dyed a pink to match her shirt. Runes covered sun-kissed skin, and a gun sat in her hand.

The woman grinned at Alec and strolled over toward him.

It was the walk that did it. Alec knew that walk – had watched it plenty of times, though it’d never looked like this. His suspicions were only confirmed when she – _he­ –_ stopped in front of Alec and grinned up at him with that same, devil-may-care look in sparkling cat eyes. “Hey there, gorgeous. Looked like you could use a little help.”

Alec stared at the slightly petite woman in front of him, who was shorter than he’d expected even with those heels, and felt his mouth fall open. “ _Magnus_?”

“Shh!” She – dammit, _he_! – lifted one hand and put a finger to his lips. “It’s Meg right now, actually.” Then he _winked_ , the little shit.

Just as Alec was about to start demanding what in Raziel’s name he was _doing there_ , they were cut off by Clary’s voice. “Oh my God. You… shot them.”

Magnus arched one eyebrow, and fuck, that was so strange seeing that on a female face. Alec knew that look well. “As opposed to – what?” he asked, and this body’s voice was almost as husky as his natural one, though nowhere near as deep. “Stabbing them? Sorry if my way isn’t as slow and drawn out as yours. I figured dead is dead.”

“I didn’t know Shadowhunters even _used_ guns,” Clary said, her eyes running over the gun that Magnus was slipping back into the holster on his belt.

“They don’t,” Isabelle called out to them.

They all turned to look as Jace and Isabelle came up to join them then, the demon long gone, and the two of them were looking at Magnus with a whole lot of appreciation on their faces. Alec knew what it looked like when his siblings were interested in someone. Seeing those looks turned Magnus’ way gave Alec the strange urge to step out in front of him and growl at them.

Magnus laughed, warm and deep, and even though it was coming out of the wrong body it still sent a coil of heat twisting through Alec’s gut. “It’s not like adamas bullets are all the rage to make, and it’s not always practical to shoot at demons. But it works just fine against Circle filth.”

Despite the fact that Clary was right beside him, there had never been a time that Jace could resist at least grinning at a beautiful woman, and this time was no different. Though it did surprise Alec when Jace took a step forward, cranking up the charm a little. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around the Institute before, and I’m pretty sure I’d remember meeting _you_.”

The look Magnus gave him could’ve curdled milk. “Yeah, thanks but no thanks, blondie. You are _so_ not my type.” That said, Magnus spun away from him, and he held a hand out Alec’s way. “You, however – I’ve heard plenty about you. I’m Meg. I don’t know if the paperwork has come through yet, but I’ve been assigned to your Institute for a while to help out.”

“I didn’t get any transfer requests.” Alec tacked a glare on to that. If Magnus thought he was going to make this easy on him, he had another thing coming. What the _hell_ was he doing??

Magnus wasn’t at all perturbed by the fact that Alec didn’t shake his hand. His grin never faltered.

Isabelle, however, made a point to elbow Alec while moving in front of him, her own hand out to shake Magnus’. “It’s nice to meet you, Meg. Ignore my brother. He’s a bit of a hardass, but I promise, he’s somewhat nice inside.”

“On the contrary, he seems perfectly delightful,” Magnus argued immediately, shaking Isabelle’s hand though his eyes never fully left Alec. “I appreciate a leader who knows what they’re doing and doesn’t bullshit around out in the field. Especially in times like these. You never know who’s going to be a spy.”

In a move that clearly surprised the others, Magnus drew off his belt, which carried the gun and holster as well as a holster for a seraph blade and a stele. Then he held those out to Alec.

“Here. You can hold on to these until you have a chance to verify who I am.”

If this were any other situation, and the person in front of him was actually a new Shadowhunter, that response would’ve gone a long way toward setting Alec at ease. With Magnus, it just made him glare all the harder. Though it didn’t stop him from reaching out and taking the belt. He slung it over his shoulder. “You, with me. Let’s get back to the Institute – I’ll send a team for cleanup.”

“Already calling it in, _hermano_ ,” Isabelle said cheerfully. Then she stepped up, threading her arm through Magnus’, and started to lead her forward. “So, which Institute did you come from?”

There was a flirtatious note to Isabelle’s tone that had Alec rolling his eyes as well as fighting back that possessive monster in him.

Clary seemed to be looking at Magnus with a bit of interest, too, when she joined the two girls. What the hell? Was _everyone_ attracted to Magnus?

Jace took advantage of their distraction to slip up to Alec’s side. He lowered his voice so that no one else but Alec would be able to hear. “I wonder who sent _her_ here?” he murmured.

Oh, if only he knew. Alec had a pretty damn good idea why it was that Magnus was here, looking like this, and as soon as they were safely in the wards of Alec’s office he was going to have it out with the ridiculous, overprotective little shit. Trying to keep all that off his face, Alec just grumbled out an “I’ll find out.”

* * *

The whole walk back to the Institute had Alec growing more and more on edge. Especially as he had to listen to Jace, Clary, and Isabelle _all_ try to flirt with Magnus, who brushed it all off like it was nothing. Like it was expected and not really worth his time to pay attention to.

Alec somehow managed to keep his cool through their return. He sent his siblings off to make their reports, even took a moment to compliment Clary on keeping her head tonight – earning him a stunned look from the redhead that had Alec almost feeling bad – and he made sure that a team had been dispatched to take care of cleanup. Then, and only then, did he gesture sharply for Magnus to follow him.

The kitsune kept quiet the whole way to Alec’s office. He held his tongue until they were inside, and the door was shut. Only when they were safely behind wards that _Magnus_ had put up did he finally speak.

“Right, so I’m getting the feeling that you’re not too happy about all this,” Magnus began.

Alec spun around, absurdly grateful to find _his_ Magnus standing there in his normal male body, even with that stupid smirk on his face. Alec wasn’t sure whether he wanted to punch or kiss it off him. “You think, Magnus?”

Ignoring Alec’s tone, Magnus spread his hands out. “You have to admit, it’s a pretty genius plan. Granted, I’d intended on speaking with you first so that we could flesh out a backstory, but then those Circle members attacked and I couldn’t simply stand by and let them hurt you all.”

“In what way is this a _perfect plan_?”

“With me here as a ‘Shadowhunter-in-training’ you can send me out on patrols with your siblings, safe in the knowledge that they’re safe, leaving you free to do your work here without stress.”

For one split second all Alec could do was gape at him. Was he serious? This was his grand plan? “You can’t go out on patrol, Magnus!” Alec hissed at him. It was a lot easier than focusing on the fact that Magnus was apparently capable of shapeshifting into a Shadowhunter and thought it was perfectly sane to use that power to go out on patrol with Alec’s siblings so that they could be safe. If Alec thought about that, he might not be able to keep hold of his anger, and he really, really needed to be angry about this.

Magnus tried and failed to look innocent. “Why not?”

Why not? _Why not_? “You’re… you’re not a Shadowhunter!”

He shrugged that off like it was no big deal. “I can fake it.”

“And if someone wants you to use a seraph blade?” Alec demanded. “That’s kind of expected of Shadowhunters.”

“I don’t actually have to _use_ a seraph blade. I just need to make it _look_ like I am,” Magnus said this like it was the most reasonable, logical answer there was, seemingly not noticing or caring about Alec’s gobsmacked expression.

“You’re insane,” Alec said, not quite sure what else he could say to this.

Magnus rocked up on his toes and smoothed his hands over the nonexistent wrinkles in his shirt. He was _beaming_ in a way that was so hard for Alec to resist. “I by _insane_ you mean _magnificent_ , then yes, you’re quite right, darling. It’s a wonderful plan. You’ll have time to do all your paperwork without worrying about what your siblings get up to because I’ll be with them to keep an eye on things.”

That sounded like a _horrible_ plan. Not that Alec thought Magnus wouldn’t keep his siblings safe. He knew he would. It was what kind of trouble they might manage to get into that worried Alec. He had a feeling Magnus’ kind of trouble might be a bit worse than anything Jace, Clary, or Isabelle could find. And what if someone found out that Magnus was just faking? What if he was exposed pretending to be a Shadowhunter? There was no way the Clave would be okay with that.

Fear made Alec’s tone a little sharper than normal. “Or I could make you my secretary so you can do the paperwork and _I’ll_ go out on patrol with my siblings.”

Magnus wrinkled his nose and froze in his rocking. “How would that solve our problem? You’d still be patrolling without me to watch your back. Though, I would make a _fantastic_ secretary, Alexander. You should be so lucky.”

There was a headache building behind Alec’s eyes and in the base of his skull. He reached up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. It was either that or reach out and shake Magnus until sense sank in. “This isn’t _our_ problem,” Alec said lowly. “This is very much a _you_ problem.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop suddenly. Alec looked up, dropping his fingers away from his nose, and found that Magnus was glaring at him. It was the first time Alec had ever seen him honestly angry with _Alec_. He felt like he was frozen in place as Magnus took a step toward him. Somehow, though he knew Magnus was a few inches shorter than him, he suddenly seemed so much _larger_.

“I will not stand back and watch as everyone around you grinds you down into the dirt for their own personal gain, Alexander.” Magnus’ voice was harder, colder. It sent a shiver down Alec’s spine. He took another step closer, until he was right there in front of Alec. The glowing gold of his magic lit up his eyes. They consumed Alec’s vision until they were all he could see. Just the crackle of magic as Magnus leaned in toward him. “You’re _mine_ , and I will do anything to protect what’s mine.”

For one brief second Alec had the insane thought that Magnus was going to either kiss him or kill him.

Then, with a sharp _crack_ and an almost overwhelming smell of burnt matches, he was gone. He left Alec standing there alone in the middle of his office, confused, a bit turned on, and unsure where the hell he stood.

* * *

They never brought that conversation up again after that. When Alec saw Magnus the next morning at breakfast in his female form, eating with Isabelle, Jace, and Clary, he had a brief moment of hesitation. Magnus’ eyes lifted at that exact time and caught Alec’s across the dining hall. They were cooler than normal, a bit guarded. He clearly expected Alec to come over there and either continue their argument or ignore him.

Alec stared at him for a long moment. Then, drawing in a breath, he made his way across the room.

The others seemed to have caught on that Magnus was looking up at them. They all turned their heads up, and Isabelle beamed up at him the instant she caught sight of Alec. “ _Hermano_! There you are! I was wondering if I was going to have to come bring you breakfast again.”

Jace scooted over a little, making room for Alec to come sit down beside him, and that small gesture had Alec wanting to smile at him.

“Again?” Magnus asked, the softer sound of this voice curling around the words in a way that was a bit less dangerous, a bit more playful. Alec had a feeling he was the only one who caught the sharp look in his eye as it ran over Alec’s plate, up to his face, and then over to Isabelle. “Do you have to do that frequently?”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “All the time.”

“Alec forgets to eat when he gets busy,” Jace said, turning a smile Alec’s way. Whether it was Magnus’ presence, or something else entirely, this was the most relaxed Alec had seen Jace around him in a while now. Seeing it, feeling it, relaxed Alec right along with him. Enough that he could smile back at Jace and not feel like it was faked.

When Alec looked back at the others, he found Magnus giving him an arch look, one eyebrow lifted. He didn’t comment any further on Alec’s eating habits, but Alec mentally prepared himself to get lectured about it later.

The others at the table completely missed the byplay going on.

“So, Meg was just telling us that she’s here to help out, maybe get a little extra training in,” Clary said, gesturing with her fork toward Magnus.

This was the moment where Alec could ruin all of Magnus’ plans. He could say that he was sending ‘Meg’ back to where she’d come from. But Alec took one look at the kitsune and knew he wasn’t going to do that. Resisting the urge to sigh, Alec stabbed his hash brown a little harder than necessary. “Yeah.”

A thought hit Alec all at once. One that had him lifting his head and doing his damndest not to grin outright at Magnus. Judging by the suddenly cautious look on Magnus’ face, he’d seen something on Alec that the others missed.

“Actually, from what I was able to see, Meg doesn’t really need that much more training. In fact,” Alec let his smile out now, just a little, enjoying how Magnus narrowed his eyes at him. “I was thinking she might be the perfect trainer for _you_ , Clary. You two have a similar frame, and Meg has the experience to be able to teach you how to use your size to your advantage.”

Alec enjoyed the way that Magnus glared at him. _Serves you right for springing all this on me_ , he thought gleefully.

“Oh, that sounds great!” Clary said, surprising Alec. So far she hadn’t shown any real interest in training with anyone beyond Jace or Isabelle. Maybe she was starting to realize how woefully undertrained she was.

Not likely, but a guy could hope.

Magnus wiped away all signs of a glare when he turned toward Clary. His smile seemed real. Alec doubted anyone but him would be able to sense the tenseness at the edges of it. Or the annoyance that was still in his eyes. He didn’t try and refute Alec’s words, though. He wouldn’t. Not when it bothered him so much to hear that others did it. “I’ve been told I’m a rather harsh teacher.”

The grin Clary gave him was bright and full of challenge. “Bring it on.”

Almost instantly Magnus’ gaze sparked. There was no way he was going to be able to resist taking the challenge in Clary’s words. As Alec had learned many times in the weeks they’d known one another – months, he realized – it was that Magnus couldn’t resist a challenge.

The grin that curved over Magnus’ lips carried just a hint of threat that should’ve warned anyone with half a brain to back off. “All right then, Ms. Fairchild. I expect to see you in the training room one hour after breakfast. We’ll see if we can’t whip you into shape.”

Alec took a big bite of his breakfast to hide his grin.


	5. Chapter 5

As much as Alec hated to admit to any plan of Magnus’ being good – it would only encourage him – so far his plan to go out patrolling with the others was working out kind of well. Missions were going smoothly even on the few that Alec wasn’t able to go with them. Not only that, but Magnus actually took care of his paperwork and turned it in on time.

Oh, Alec knew he probably just snapped it up, but he _did it_ , and Alec was more than grateful for that fact alone.

His training with Clary seemed to be going pretty well, too. During one of their private dinners in Alec’s office, Magnus told him, “She has potential. All that natural grace you Shadowhunters have. She’s just never had to learn how to use it. Give me a few months and I could make a somewhat decent fighter out of her.”

“Unfortunately, a few months isn’t really feasible,” Alec admitted. He was slouched down in the couch, his food propped up on his chest and his feet in Magnus’ lap. Magnus had long since abandoned his own food and was instead rubbing at Alec’s feet despite Alec’s initial protests.

He wasn’t protesting anymore. Magnus was _good_ with his hands.

Huffing a little, Magnus shook his head. “You humans. Barely older than children and you’re fighting in a war.”

“It’s what we’re raised for. We fight young because we die young.” It was part of being a Shadowhunter. One that they all grew up aware of.

Magnus’ thumb pressed in hard against the arch of Alec’s foot. At the same time, power flashed behind his eyes. “Not on my watch.”

There was no point in reminding him that he wasn’t exactly going to get a choice on it. Between demons, Valentine trying to destroy them all, and his insane Circle members, it was more than likely they’d all end up dead far sooner than they wanted. All Alec could do was do his best to try and stay one step ahead and keep as many of his people alive as possible.

To that end, Alec needed to figure out a way to help find Clary’s mother, who might provide them the best intel on how to stop Valentine or how to find the Mortal Cup that she’d hidden somewhere. He also needed to actually find the Cup and keep it from Valentine’s hands, all before Valentine and his Circle did.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about a way to solve a couple of our problems here,” Magnus said slowly, showing his uncanny knack for following along with Alec's thoughts. His thumb pushed up Alec's arch again, up towards his toes, and it felt like he was pushing the pressure right out of them.

Alec's head lolled back at the feeling. He closed his eyes, sighing as his aching feet were slowly turning to mush in Magnus’ hands. It made his “Yeah” a little breathier than normal.

With his eyes closed, he missed the sharp grin Magnus wore, though he could hear a hint of it in his voice. “Alexander, darling, you give a man _ideas_ when you look like that.”

Once, that might’ve flustered Alec, brought a blush that he would’ve hidden. Now, though he did still blush slightly, he also wiggled his foot in Magnus’ hand and purposely dug his heel into Magnus’ thigh. “Focus, Magnus.”

“That sounds dreadfully boring.”

“I could move…”

“No!” Magnus’ hands tightened on Alec's foot like he was worried Alec was actually going to tug it away. As if Alec was threatening to stop rubbing _his_ feet. One of his hands curled possessively around Alec's ankle. “If we have to focus on business, the least you can do is leave your feet where they are.”

Alec slanted open his eyes just enough to shoot an amused look Magnus’ way. “It’s my _feet_.”

Tipping his chin up, the look Magnus gave him was almost prim. “Hasn’t anyone taught you not to kink shame, Alexander? It’s quite rude.” Then, while Alec was gaping at him and clearly caught up in the idea of _feet_ and _kink_ existing in the same sentence, Magnus kept talking. “Now, as I was saying, I believe I might’ve found a helpful solution to our problem. As I told you, Clarissa’s training is going well, not just in fighting but in Shadow World laws.”

That had been something Alec wasn’t aware Magnus would tack on to their training, though once he found out he wasn’t going to argue it. Magnus kept Clary from after breakfast until almost lunch, half of the time spent fighting and half of it spent studying the laws of the Shadow World – Shadowhunter and Downworlder alike.

Deciding to table the whole _kink thing_ for later – much, much later, when he was alone and free to react without Magnus there to see – Alec focused on the rest of it. “Okay. What were you thinking?”

“We joke often about you needing a secretary, but what if we actually gave you one?”

It didn’t take a genius to piece together what Magnus was suggesting. Alec straightened back up a little, his eyes narrowing somewhat as he thought it through. Absently, he picked at the food he held. The idea had some merit to it.

“It’d definitely teach her a little more about the inner workings of the Institute,” Alec said slowly.

Magnus nodded his agreement. “It would also show her that what you do is more than simply telling people what to do. As your secretary, she would see the amount of work you take on – work that is generally given to _two_ people, and yet you do entirely alone.”

“Not _entirely_ alone,” Alec countered, giving Magnus a knowing look. It hadn’t escaped his notice that some of his paperwork sometimes disappeared, moving to his outbox even though he hadn’t done it.

Smiling, Magnus said nothing on that. He switched Alec's foot out for the other one and kept going. “Also, as your secretary she’d be able to witness some of the meetings or conference calls you have.”

“Do you really think she could stay quiet through one of those?”

“I think we could impress upon her the need to. After a couple, I believe she’ll start to recognize the need to do it on her own.” Pausing, Magnus wrinkled his nose a little. “Loathe as I am to admit it about someone who has caused you such distress, I have to admit, Clarissa isn’t as bad as I first thought her to be. She’s scared, alone, and in an entirely new world she has no clue about.”

Those were all things Alec had thought before. They were what helped keep his temper under control most of the time. “She’s young, too.”

“She’s not that much younger than you,” Magnus pointed out.

In years, maybe that was true, but Alec had never been his age. He’d had to grow up a long time ago. Long before even typical Shadowhunter kids. Someone had needed to be an adult. Who else would look after Isabelle? Make sure she ate, that she had more than just the junk they served in the dining hall, that she got to bed at a decent time and woke up for her lessons. Then Max had come along, and Jace, and Alec took care of them, too, because by that point that was what he knew how to do. You took care of your family.

Shaking off those thoughts, they never got him anywhere, Alec focused back on the here and now. He ignored the sad look that was on Magnus’ face. “It’s not a bad idea. I’ll need to find something to keep Jace occupied, though. Otherwise he’s going to want to be with her pretty much all the time, and that’s not going to accomplish anything. And that’s even if I can convince Clary to do this instead of running around half-cocked looking for her Mom.”

“Put Jace in charge of that,” Magnus suggested. At Alec's curious look, he waved one hand. “I know, I know. He’s been rather hotheaded lately.”

“ _Lately_.”

“But with the right direction he might settle a little. Put your parabatai in charge of the efforts to find Jocelyn, give him a team, and have them report directly to you.”

That…wasn’t a terrible idea. It also might help soothe Clary down. If she was told that Jace was in charge of things, that he was out there looking for her mother, she might feel a bit more at ease relaxing and doing other things around the Institute. Of course, Alec knew she’d still want to personally go find her mother, but if she was going to accept a substitute, this was the best choice.

A lot of it was going to depend on how Alec presented it to them.

He sank back into his seat, food momentarily forgotten as his mind started racing, going down the different routes he could take.

Caught up in his thoughts, he missed the pleased look that Magnus wore.

* * *

Presenting their idea to Clary and Jace went off better than Alec had expected. Clary had protested, of course, and Jace had tried to back her. But Isabelle had been a surprising source of help.

“You want to find your mom, right?” Isabelle had asked.

“Of course!”

“Jace is our best soldier. If anyone stands a chance at finding her, it’s him. Don’t you trust him?”

And just like that, with only a little more fussing, Alec had two of his biggest problems neatly contained in a way that didn’t hurt them and was actually productive.

The only downside so far was that Alec had to grow used to the fact that his afternoons were spent with Clary as his secretary. That meant that she came and went from his office _constantly_ , was full of questions he had no choice but to answer, and – worst of all – the random visits Alec got from Magnus severely diminished. They were stuck talking either at Alec's private training sessions, late at night, or under the guise of _Meg._

On the plus side, the more that Alec spent time around Clary, the more he found himself _liking_ her. She was… tolerable.

When Alec told Magnus, the kitsune laughed so hard he fell off the bench.

“You know, I can still kick you out of here,” Alec pointed out. He was in the middle of going through his forms, and Magnus had been sitting on the bench watching as he so often liked to do.

Magnus didn’t even bother to push himself up off the ground. He just kept laughing until Alec threw his water bottle at him.

All in all, things around the Institute were starting to finally settle down a little. They were almost _peaceful_ despite the war going on. There hadn’t been any new Circle attacks, Jace was focused on trying to find Clary’s mom and running his team, Clary was taking to being Alec's secretary with impressive skill and she was working hard in her training with Magnus, and Isabelle was working her ass off to help Alec slowly start to gather people for the Downworlder Council he’d been talking about since before his kidnapping.

Things were great.

He really should’ve known something was going to go wrong.

* * *

He woke up in the dark. That was Alec's first clue that something was wrong. He never woke up in the dark. Ever since his kidnapping, he made a point to keep some sort of light on in his bedroom. At first he’d just used the light from his private bathroom. Then one night a dimly glowing orb had appeared on his desk with no note, no explanation, but the faint scent of burnt matches to it.

But when Alec woke this time, the whole room around him was dark, and there was a sharp, splitting pain in his temples.

He tried to move, instinctively seeking to curl in a little against the headache and the slowly growing stomachache, and that was when he found out his next clue – the biggest one of all.

His hands were tied.

Panic hit Alec like a freight train. He would’ve liked to say that he didn’t freak out, that he handled it like a mature, strong Shadowhunter. But the feel of something binding his wrists combined with the cold, dark room was enough to send his brain dangerously toward a flashback.

There was no telling if he might’ve ended up giving in to it or not. Before he could, a door opened nearby and blinding light flooded the room. Alec couldn’t keep in his groan. He rolled his body, eyes slamming shut while he fought back waves of nausea.

“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” a sickly-sweet voice said, not sounding sorry in the least bit. “I’d imagine your head hurts. They did warn me the potion would do that, but you never know.”

Potion? Someone had given him a potion? Alec fought past the pain in his head, and the sickness burning his gut, and tried to get his brain to work. To _think_.

Someone had taken him again. They’d kidnapped him, and used some sort of potion…? Alec tried to think back, only he couldn’t. He couldn’t remember what had led to this. The last thing he remembered was going out to grab some breakfast on a rare quiet morning while everyone was busy. What happened after he left the Institute was a blank.

Gathering all his will, Alec forced himself to slowly open his eyes, blinking against the light.

He found a woman standing in his now lit room. She was small, though not as tiny as Clary, with dark hair and a smirk on her lips, dressed in the type of red dress Alec could see Isabelle wearing to the clubs. There was an air of danger around her. One that, as Alec's vision cleared, he knew was well warranted.

Camille Belcourt – leader of the vampire coven, and well known in Shadowhunter files as a sadist and a danger to anyone around her. All interactions with her were to be avoided at all costs.

Pretty much the last person you want to see after finding out you’re chained up in the dark.

“Alec Lightwood,” Camille purred out his name at him, making it clear that, yeah, she knew exactly who she had here. She really was dumb enough to have kidnapped the Head of the New York Institute. “What a pleasure you could join me in my humble little home.”

 _Calm. Stay calm._ Alec curled his hands into fists while he carefully straightened himself up. First to his knees, then, when she didn’t stop him, to his feet. He wasn’t going to cower on the ground in front of her. “Camille Belcourt. I suppose it’s too much to hope that you’re here to set me free.”

Okay, so maybe Alec had been spending a little too much time with Magnus. That was a lot snarkier than he normally would have – or _should_ have – dared to do in this situation. Alec was going to blame it on Magnus’ influence and the still pounding headache in his temples.

Camille let out a laugh that only made that headache pound worse. “That’s cute.”

“Kidnapping the mundane was one thing. Kidnapping the Head of the New York Institute is something else entirely. It won’t be something you can just walk away from.”

“I beg to differ.” Calm and cool, Camille crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door, smirking at him. “Once your friends make their trade, I very much doubt the Clave is going to be attempting _anything_ against me. In fact, they might just give you back to me as a gift to keep me happy. I can think of so much fun we could have, you and I.”

The swell of nausea Alec felt before came back tenfold. He could just imagine what kind of _fun_ they’d have together.

Then the rest of her words clicked, and all the tension Alec had just felt, all the fear that had tried to build, melted away. His whole body visibly relaxed – to Camille’s clear surprise.

“What?” Camille asked, straightening up. Her smile had wiped away and her gaze was sharper, eyes narrowed on him. “What is it?”

“You sent a request to my team to trade me for the Mortal Cup?” Alec asked her, just to clarify. She hadn’t said _what_ she was trading for, but it wasn’t hard to guess even with his brain as fuzzy as it was. It was what she’d wanted last time, too. She must’ve figured she’d try her luck at someone higher on the food chain.

One corner of Camille’s mouth turned up. “What – think they won’t trade it for you, little boy?”

Alec snorted at the idea, then winced. Okay. Snorting wasn’t a good plan right now. Not while his brain was still trying to hammer its way out of his skull. “I know they won’t.” Not that that was the point. Or what Camille should be worrying about.

The thought was probably more amusing than it should’ve been. Alec briefly entertained the thought that whatever potion they’d given him might still be making him a little high. Then he shrugged it off as unimportant. He moved back over to the spot by the wall where he’d woken up, and he braced his shoulders against it. Then he slid back down to the ground. If he was going to be trapped here, he might as well be comfortable while he waited.

Camille was watching him with a look on her face Alec couldn’t quite read. It wasn’t happy, though. Not that he cared. “You don’t think they’ll want to come and rescue their precious leader? Their _big brother_?”

“Oh, they will,” Alec said in an agreeable voice. He knew his family would want to come. Jace would probably be charging his way here right now if Camille had already made the call. Alec wasn’t sure – he couldn’t really feel past anything to feel out the parabatai bond. But he trusted his brother to come for him.

What’s more – he trusted _Magnus_.

Just thinking how pissed off the kitsune was going to be had Alec wanting to laugh. He laid his head back against the wall, eyes drifting to half-mast, and chuckled. Magnus was going to be so pissed off that someone had taken Alec. He freaked out when Alec came back from patrol with a scratch on his arm, or when someone grumbled under their breath after Alec put them through an intense training session. For someone to actually come and _kidnap_ Alec? Yeah, no. He was going to be pissed.

The fact that Alec had complete and utter faith in Magnus to come and get him was something he should probably think about. Later.

For the moment, he settled for relaxing, letting the tension slide out of his body. Camille wasn’t going to kill him. She’d already made that clear. She wanted to trade, even if he doubted she’d keep up her end of it. That meant that, for the moment, she had to keep him alive. Knowing that gave Alec a little bit of leverage here.

Camille must not have seen it that way.

In an instant, Alec found himself up off the ground, being pinned to the wall by a hard grip against his throat. “I’m not in the mood for your games. What are you talking about, little nephilim?”

Alec never had to answer. He sucked in a breath and caught the scent of burnt matches, strong and hot, and a grin spread over his face at the same time a cold, dangerous voice spoke. “I suggest you take your hands off what’s _mine_ , Camille – unless you’d like to lose them.”

The hand on Alec's throat never wavered, but Camille turned, and her voice showed her surprise. “ _Magnus_?”

Alec's eyebrows shot up. Not just at the use of Magnus’ name, but the familiarity in it. These two knew each other?

Red magic curled around Camille’s fingers and wrist. It loosened her hold enough for Alec to slump, and then Camille was flying backward in a flash of light, smashing into the far wall, and someone else was right in front of Alec. Familiar hands caught him up before he could sink more than a few inches. Bright cat eyes, glowing gold and sparking red, took up the whole of Alec's vision. Alec could hear others, voices that he knew should be familiar, and yet all he could focus on was Magnus. Magnus was here. Magnus had rescued him.

Alec opened his mouth, and he wasn’t sure what he’d planned on saying, but what came out was “I knew you’d come.”

“Of course I did,” Magnus said.

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like he hadn’t ever thought of anything else. It felt… nice. Like Alec was special. Important. Like he was someone that mattered.

A low, pained sound came from Magnus. He pressed in close, pushing Alec against the wall, and part of Alec registered that his hands were no longer tied behind him – when had that happened? – they were instead gripping tight to Magnus’ jacket. “Oh, my pretty little petal,” Magnus murmured, leaning in to brush his nose against Alec's. “You are special. So very, very special, and important, and _mine_.”

The possessive growl over that last word was what really did it for Alec. He stopped thinking, stopped fighting, and sank down in toward Magnus with a soft sigh as he finally gave in to what they both wanted.

Their lips pressed together in a kiss that was anything but chaste. Alec might’ve started that way, just a gentle brush, but then Magnus’ hand was on the back of his neck and he was pressing up into Alec, mumbling a soft “ _Finally_ ” before stealing Alec’s breath on a gasp as Magnus kissed him like he wanted to _consume_ him.

Alec forgot the rest of the world existed. He didn’t think about Camille, or whoever else had showed up to help contain her, or anything like that.

Even when they broke apart and Alec became aware of whistles from his sister and brother, of Clary’s surprised “Oh my God” and other voices, voices of people Alec knew he knew but couldn’t place right then, it didn’t matter. Magnus was giving Alec that wide, just slightly crooked grin, his eyes crinkled up at the corners and full of all the love Alec had been trying to convince himself wasn’t there these past months.

“Took you long enough,” Magnus teased him lightly, tilting his head so that their noses brushed together.

Alec gave him a small grin in return. “It takes me a bit, sometimes, but I get there eventually.”

Then, with Magnus laughing and voices around them, Alec leaned in and kissed him again, just because he could.

He was going to have to explain some things later, he knew. Only Isabelle knew about Magnus’ presence in his life. The others only knew Meg – and wasn’t that an entire can of worms Alec wasn’t sure he wanted to open? There were going to be questions, and confusion, and a lot of trouble that was going to come from this whole thing. Not just Magnus’ presence in his life, either, or the Clave’s reaction to it. There was the fact that Camille had felt bold enough at all to kidnap the Head of the Institute to use him to barter for the Cup.

Alec's next few days were going to be busy, and so very difficult. But he wasn’t going to have to do it alone.

Judging by the way Magnus was gripping at him, how tightly he was holding on to Alec, and that sharp possessive edge to his kiss, there was very little Alec was going to have to do alone for what he was guessing would be a long, long while.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading - be sure to let me know what you think!
> 
> And if you'd like to join a Multifandom server on Discord, come hang out [HERE](https://discord.gg/82pvdE39fD) with me and a group of amazing people!
> 
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